London.

From a casual yakitori bar to two Michelin stars — Angelo Sato's Humble Chicken in Soho is one of London's most exciting restaurants, fusing Japanese discipline with brilliant European creativity across a 16-course omakase.

Fukuoka-born chef Shogo Amamoto brings his Taipei Michelin-starred omakase to Mayfair — a masterclass in precise, personal Edomae sushi across three intimate sittings.

Named after Endo Kazutoshi's mother, Sumi brings the same commitment to exquisite Japanese fish that defines his Michelin-starred White City flagship to a lively, neighbourhood-feel setting in Notting Hill.

Perched on the eighth floor of BBC Television Centre, Endo at The Rotunda offers a breathtaking Michelin-starred omakase from one of London's most celebrated Japanese sushi masters.

Tucked inside the iconic 45 Park Lane hotel, Sushi Kanesaka brings Ginza's most revered omakase counter to Mayfair — a Michelin-starred evening of pure Edomae precision.

Umu has anchored Mayfair's fine-dining scene since 2004, offering Michelin-starred Kyoto kaiseki that blends traditional Japanese discipline with exceptional British seasonal produce.

A hidden Marylebone counter that transports diners to Kyoto — chef-owner Daisuke Hayashi, trained at three-Michelin-starred Kikunoi, delivers a seasonal Japanese kappo-kaiseki journey unlike anywhere else in London.

The Araki redefined London's omakase scene when Mitsuhiro Araki brought his three-Michelin-starred Tokyo ethos to Mayfair in 2014; today, the legendary nine-seat counter continues under head chef Marty Lau.

Chef Masa Takayama — the three-Michelin-starred New York sushi master — makes his London debut at The Chancery Rosewood, offering an intimate seven-seat omakase in one of Mayfair's most extraordinary new spaces.

Sushi Tetsu — a seven-seat counter hidden in a Clerkenwell alley — is perhaps London's most legendary and hardest-to-book sushi bar, where chef Toru Takahashi delivers Edomae perfection with his wife Harumi.

A hidden gem near South Wimbledon tube, Takahashi is chef Nobuhisa Takahashi's intimate eight-seat omakase — ex-Nobu Japanese craftsmanship at remarkable value, beloved by London's serious food lovers.

Set on the rooftop of the spectacular Old War Office building, Kioku — meaning 'memories' in Japanese — is Endo Kazutoshi's most ambitious London project, fusing his Yokohama heritage with Mediterranean influences against sweeping Whitehall skyline views.

Taking its name from the Japanese word for twenty — a nod to its Berkeley Street address — Niju is Endo Kazutoshi's approachable Mayfair venture, centred on the Japanese concept of 'katei ryori' (home-cooked food from the heart), with a bespoke sushi bar and charcoal grill.

Tucked inside Mayfair's charming Shepherd Market, Maru offers a deeply personal 20-course omakase from third-generation Japanese sushi chef Taiji Maruyama, championing the finest British seafood through a Japanese lens.

A neighbourhood Japanese ramen shop moments from Finsbury Park station, where Tokyo-trained founder Alan Tse blends ramen craft with izakaya warmth and a globe-trotting specials menu.

Marugame Udon's UK and European debut near Liverpool Street, where hand-pulled Sanuki udon noodles are made fresh daily in an open kitchen — the first outpost in Europe for Kobe-based Toridoll Holdings.

Marugame Udon's largest UK site occupies two floors next to the London Palladium on Argyll Street, bringing Toridoll Holdings' hand-made Sanuki udon to the heart of Soho and Oxford Circus.

Named after the Japanese word for 'past and present', Kokin sees Gunma-born chef Daisuke Shimoyama — formerly of Michelin-starred Hannah — bring ingredient-led, fire-focused Japanese cooking to a dramatic seventh-floor space overlooking the Olympic Park in Stratford.

Dinings SW3 is chef Masaki Sugisaki's elegant Chelsea expansion — a refined Japanese restaurant where Sugisaki's Japanese culinary heritage meets the finest British seasonal produce in a beautiful Lennox Gardens Mews setting.

Founded in 2006 by ex-Nobu chefs, Dinings' Marylebone basement is a beloved institution — creative Japanese small plates and exceptional sushi in an intimate, lively setting that helped define London's modern izakaya scene.

London's most acclaimed izakaya, The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park brings the energy of a Ginza nightout to Knightsbridge through exceptional Edomae sushi, robata grills and innovative Japanese cocktails under head sushi chef Miho Sato.

Sister restaurant to Michelin-starred TAKU Mayfair, INÉ brings premium Edomae sushi and a 17-course omakase counter experience to Hampstead High Street — exceptional Japanese craft at a fraction of the Mayfair price.

Tucked into a discreet address just off Bond Street, Cube Mayfair is chef-owner Takamasa Mogi's intimate Japanese restaurant, celebrated for its evening omakase counter experience and modern Japanese tapas shaped by the finest European produce.

A hidden gem on Brewer Street with just ten counter seats, Sushi Kyu is the Soho sister to Cube Mayfair where all chefs are trained under owner Takamasa Mogi, delivering a focused omakase experience at refreshingly accessible prices.

One of London's most inventive sushi bars, Yashin Sushi was founded in 2010 by Nobu and Ubon-trained chefs Yasuhiro Mineno and Shinya Ikeda, whose signature 'without soy sauce' ethos lets the quality of each ingredient speak entirely for itself.

The more adventurous sister to Yashin Sushi, Ocean House on Old Brompton Road pioneered nose-to-tail seafood degustation in London, with Hida wagyu exclusively imported from Japan and one of the city's widest sake lists.

Shiro at Broadgate Circle brings contemporary Japanese dining from its Hong Kong home to London's City, with head chef Ken Miyake's signature crystal sushi, classic ramen, and Ginza-inspired cocktails in a sleek City setting.

Forbes-listed among London's top five Japanese restaurants, Miyako at Andaz Liverpool Street is an intimate 28-cover City oasis serving handmade sushi, sashimi and bento boxes under head chef Kosei Sakamoto's daily-fresh menu.

Nestled in a handsome period building facing Grosvenor Gardens, Kouzu brings serious Japanese culinary craft to Belgravia, led by Kyoichi Kai — the Japanese chef who helped establish Zuma's founding kitchen and who won the UK Global Sushi Challenge in 2015.

A neighbourhood gem on Marylebone Lane, Cocoro has been run by the Japanese Suzui family since opening in 2005, earning a devoted local following for its honest, high-quality sushi and sashimi, izakaya small plates and relaxed tatami dining room downstairs.

Cocoro Highgate on Archway Road is a warmly neighbourhood Japanese restaurant and deli combining a sushi counter, ramen bowls, and donburi with a Japanese grocery section — owned by Hideko and Kayoko Suzui and open every day.

Europe's first Nobu, open since 1997 at the COMO Metropolitan Hotel on Old Park Lane, remains one of London's most iconic Japanese-Peruvian restaurants — the birthplace of Nikkei cuisine in the UK and still delivering its legendary black cod miso and signature sushi to an international clientele.

Opened in 2021 at the purpose-built Nobu Hotel London Portman Square in Marylebone, this is Nobu's most modern London outpost — a 200-seat restaurant with a sushi counter, private dining, and a Sunday brunch featuring unlimited sushi and a live DJ.

London's easternmost Nobu, open since 2017 at the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, brings the brand's signature Japanese-Peruvian cuisine — black cod miso, yellowtail jalapeño, rock shrimp tempura — to a capacious 240-seat basement restaurant with an adjoining sunken garden terrace in the heart of EC2.

A Mayfair institution since 1973, Ikeda remains family-run under Kenichi Ikeda, delivering uncompromisingly authentic Japanese cuisine — from pristine sashimi and nigiri to signature gindara black cod — with the quiet precision of a true traditional Japanese kitchen.

A Hampstead institution since 1992, Jin Kichi is the archetypal London izakaya: robata grill front and centre, outstanding yakitori, and a sushi bar delivering the kind of fish quality usually reserved for central London fine dining.

Hidden down a side street between Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, Kikuchi is one of London's most revered and discreet sushi counters, where Sapporo-born chef-owner Masayuki Kikuchi crafts a £130 omakase that quietly rivals the finest in the city.

Renamed Nanahoshi at the start of 2025, this hole-in-the-wall Soho counter has been championed for years as the pound-for-pound best Japanese food in London — chef Yuya Kikuchi's market-driven sushi and small plates are guided entirely by what's exceptional at the fish market that morning.

A neighbourhood sushi counter and fishmonger next to West Acton Station, Atari-Ya serves some of London's freshest nigiri and sashimi — a cult address for Japanese chefs and local devotees alike.

Steps from Swiss Cottage tube, this counter sushi bar from Japan's JFLA Holdings brings the same pristine fish stock it supplies to Michelin-starred kitchens directly to diners in a no-frills, no-compromise setting.

A flagship Atariya counter sushi bar on Finchley Road in Golders Green, serving the same restaurant-grade fish the group supplies to Michelin-starred kitchens — at accessible neighbourhood prices.

Atari-Ya's Finchley counter brings the same Japan-sourced fish quality it supplies to top London restaurants directly to a local audience on Hendon Lane, making premium sushi genuinely accessible in North London.

A Golders Green institution for over two decades, Café Japan serves impeccably fresh sushi and sashimi from its warm, neighbourhood dining room — a genuine Japanese culinary gem hiding in plain sight on Finchley Road.

Opened in January 2025, Himi is the debut solo restaurant from the team behind the beloved Roji — a neo-izakaya on Newburgh Street where Tomoko Hasegawa and Tamas Naszai serve season-led washoku dishes, rare sake and impeccable sushi at counter and table seating.

Engawa at Ham Yard is the world's first restaurant concept dedicated to importing whole Kobe cattle from Japan for butchering on-site, operated by Tokyo-based Salt Group under executive chef Akira Shimizu, alongside a superb sushi and sashimi programme.

On the first floor of Japan House — the Japanese government's cultural centre on Kensington High Street — Akira is a Michelin-selected restaurant where chef director Akira Shimizu delivers robata-grilled skewers, Wagyu omakase and Edomae sushi with authentic omotenashi hospitality.

One of London's longest-running Japanese izakayas, Asakusa sits on Eversholt Street in Camden and has quietly served authentic Japanese home-cooking to a loyal local following for over three decades.

Inaho is a remarkably small, long-running Japanese restaurant hidden in a converted garage on Hereford Road in Notting Hill — a neighbourhood gem where a Japanese chef from Niigata delivers some of the most authentic sushi and izakaya cooking in west London.

Tomoe is Putney's most celebrated Japanese restaurant — a small, counter-focused sushi and izakaya spot on Upper Richmond Road that relocated from Marylebone Lane and has built a devoted following for its pristine fish, Japanese-trained kitchen, and deeply authentic bento lunches.

Since 1993, Abeno has held the distinction of being Europe's first specialist okonomiyaki restaurant, where Osaka-born co-founder Elize Nakatani's recipes are cooked on individual teppan grills embedded in each table.

Shoryu's Regent Street flagship — the original Hakata tonkotsu ramen bar that opened in 2012 and put London's ramen scene on the map.

Shoryu's late-night Soho outpost on Denman Street, famed for the UK's largest sake and shochu list and a subterranean private dining room.

Shoryu's City branch at Broadgate Circle, serving the financial district authentic Hakata tonkotsu ramen from the Japan Centre Group's Fukuoka-born founder.

Shoryu's Kensington outpost on the High Street, offering alfresco Hakata tonkotsu ramen a short walk from the Design Museum and Royal Albert Hall.

Ippudo's original Covent Garden London location at Central Saint Giles — the UK debut of Japan's most globally recognised ramen brand, open since 2014.

Ippudo's Canary Wharf branch at Crossrail Place, serving the East London financial district authentic tonkotsu ramen from Chikaranomoto Holdings of Fukuoka.

Ippudo's Fitzrovia location on Goodge Street, opened 2019 — serving the same authentic Fukuoka tonkotsu as the brand's global network, owned entirely by Chikaranomoto Holdings.

Kanada-Ya's first London branch, opened in 2014 on St Giles High Street — the restaurant that introduced Londoners to Kazuhiro Kanada's celebrated 18-hour Fukuoka tonkotsu.

Kanada-Ya's intimate Piccadilly Circus location on Panton Street, beloved for its no-frills, walk-in approach and consistently excellent 18-hour tonkotsu.

Kanada-Ya's Islington outpost on Upper Street, bringing Fukuoka's celebrated 18-hour tonkotsu to North London's liveliest dining strip.

Kanada-Ya's Carnaby Street area branch on Foubert's Place, offering alfresco 18-hour tonkotsu ramen in the heart of London's most stylish retail neighbourhood.

Kanada-Ya's West London branch at Ealing's Filmworks Walk development, bringing Kazuhiro Kanada's celebrated 18-hour Fukuoka tonkotsu to W5.

Kanada-Ya's newest London branch, opened in July 2024 at Westfield London, Shepherd's Bush — bringing Kazuhiro Kanada's 18-hour Fukuoka tonkotsu to West London's premier shopping destination.

London's pioneering ramen restaurant, born in Soho in 2012 from Ken Yamada's Shizuoka roots and a shared obsession with regional Japanese broths.

The Hackney outpost of London's beloved Tonkotsu chain, with a visible noodle-making studio and a relaxed covered terrace perfect for east London ramen runs.

The original Koya — a Soho institution since 2010, where Shuko Oda's handmade udon and slow-drawn dashi set the standard for Japanese noodles in London.

Koya's City outpost in the sleek Bloomberg Arcade, where Shuko Oda's handmade udon meets izakaya-style small plates and curated sake for a refined all-day experience.

The little sister of the Koya family — a pared-back Broadway Market counter inspired by Japan's station noodle bars, where Shuko Oda's udon meets Hackney cool.

A vivid Showa-era ramen alleyway concept on Mayfair's pedestrianised Heddon Street — Japan Centre founder Tak Tokumine's love letter to Tokyo's retro yokocho bar culture.

London's first branch of Japan's iconic curry-rice giant, where diners build their own bowl from a vast matrix of toppings and spice levels.

Europe's largest Japanese food hall at Westfield London combines deli counters, hot food stations and a supermarket under one roof — a joint venture between Japan Centre Group and Cool Japan Fund, opened in 2018.

London's most obsessively authentic ramen shop — founder Ian Wheatley spent years training in Osaka's ramen kitchens to create a 32-seat Old Street counter where everything, down to the noodle flour sourced from Japan, is made from scratch.

The highly anticipated London debut of Netflix legend Ivan Orkin — 26 intimate seats in Farringdon for the New York and Tokyo ramen master's signature bowls, walk-in only.

A Fukuoka ramen legend that dates back to 1969 — Masatoshi Ogata's family-recipe tonkotsu broth and handmade noodles served on Waterloo's theatre row, The Cut.

A tiny Japanese-run ramen bar near Elephant and Castle, where three dedicated Japanese chefs dish up thoroughly authentic bowls and handmade gyoza alongside a curated sake list.

The Bond Street outpost of this stalwart Japanese chain leans into tonkotsu ramen while offering the full Eat Tokyo repertoire of bento, sushi and donburi at wallet-friendly prices.

Opposite Theatre Royal Drury Lane, this Covent Garden branch of the Japanese-owned Eat Tokyo chain is a reliable destination for fresh sushi, generous bento boxes and classic donburi before a show.

The original and longest-running Eat Tokyo branch in Golders Green has been a pillar of north London's Japanese dining scene for decades, offering fresh sushi, bento and Japanese classics at honest prices.

The busiest branch of the Japanese-owned Eat Tokyo group sits on Old Compton Street in the heart of Soho, drawing nightly queues with its vast menu of sushi, bento, gyudon, okonomiyaki and Japanese staples.

The founding branch of Mr. Taro's Japanese restaurant group — open since 1999 on Brewer Street in Soho — serves sushi, bento, donburi and ramen with genuine Japanese hospitality just two minutes from Piccadilly Circus.

Opened in December 2022 on Churton Street between Victoria and Pimlico stations, Taro Pimlico brings Mr. Taro's Japanese-owned everyday dining concept to a neighbourhood sorely lacking in affordable, authentic Japanese food.

Tanakatsu is London's dedicated tonkatsu specialist near Angel station, co-founded by Koko Tanaka whose Japanese heritage — combined with head chef Jakub Soltys's classical fine-dining background — delivers panko-crumbed pork cutlets of exceptional precision.

Founder Moto's tiny Osaka-inspired canteen inside Brixton Village has been bringing handmade okonomiyaki and yakisoba to south London since around 2012 — a little piece of downtown Osaka hidden inside a covered market arcade.

Tucked into the atmospheric County Hall building on the South Bank, Okan's second location brings founder Moto's Osaka street food vision — okonomiyaki, yakisoba and Japanese tapas — to one of London's most visited tourist destinations.